It could have been her imagination, but Millie almost thought she saw Jessica twitch at the mention of Kai’s name. Not like the other day, when she’d seemed like she hadn’t wanted anything to do with him, just an odd, involuntary movement at his name. Kai had mentioned that Jessica was taking good care of him. Millie hoped that meant whatever weirdness had been between them before, had passed.
As Jessica smiled politely at the comment, Millie decided to speak her thoughts. Taking another small bite of her sandwich, she tossed out, “We should find Kai a girl.” Jessica’s eyes widened, and her mouth popped open a little. Curious, Millie added, “He’s too good of a boy to not have someone to love. Don’t you think?” It was about as indirect as Millie could be, asking if everything was all right between the two of them.
Jessica swallowed and tucked her hair behind her ears. Grabbing one of the long strands, she started twisting it around her finger. It was an old childhood habit of Jessica’s. One that Millie was a little surprised to see pop up again. “Yeah, he’s really great…but he just got here. I doubt he’s looking for anything yet.”
Millie watched the girl twist the strand of hair around her finger so tight that she was practically cutting off the circulation in her digit. “Nonsense. What boy his age isn’t looking to sow his oats a bit?” Millie smiled softly and took another bite of her sandwich.
Jessica’s face flooded with color as she gaped at Millie. “Grandma!” she exclaimed.
Millie laughed. She wasn’t sure if Jessica was against the thought of a man trying out different partners, or if she was just surprised that her grandmother was suggesting it. Millie hadn’t raised her family members to be prudes, and she certainly would never have expected that from Jessica Marie; she must just be surprised. “Oh, relax, dear. No harm in a man…exploring his options.” Curious what her reaction would be, Millie raised a pointed eyebrow at Jessica. “A woman either, dear.”
Millie had to laugh again as she watched her granddaughter’s face turn an even brighter shade of red. She immediately turned away from Millie and began jerking on the strand of hair in her fingers. She yanked so hard, Millie was sure she’d pull the whole piece out by the root. “Well, sure…I guess,” she muttered, still seemingly flabbergasted by the whole conversation.
Millie chuckled and took another bite of her sandwich. “Do you know anyone he could date?” she asked Jessica casually.
The bright red immediately drained from Jessica’s cheeks as she shook her head. “No…and I really don’t think he’s interested in being…set up.”
Wiping some crumbs off of her lips, Millie sighed. “I know, he said as much.” Shaking her head, she added, “But men are stubborn, and they don’t always know what they need.”
As Jessica studied the strand of hair in her fingers, she muttered something that almost sounded like, “He doesn’t need that.” Millie couldn’t be positive of her hearing though. She was just about to ask her granddaughter to repeat what she’d said, when Jessica lifted her eyes to Millie’s. “Well, I don’t know anyone…for him.”
The way Jessica paused over that sentence, Millie had clearly heard the words she hadn’t said—anyone good enough for him. Millie smiled. They had indeed bonded. “Well, keep an eye out.”
Jessica sighed and leaned back in her chair. Studying her hair again, she softly said, “What if I don’t want to give him up yet?”
Millie paused in taking a bite of her sandwich, about the last bite her stomach could handle. “What do you mean, dear?”
Jessica flushed, looking embarrassed that she’d said that out loud. Sputtering a little, she added, “I mean, he just got here, and I’m finally getting to know…my cousin. What if I just want him to myself for a little bit? Before I have to share him with a girlfriend?”
Millie smiled and set her sandwich down; her stomach was too queasy to take another bite anyway. “I’m glad to hear you say that. You two seemed so…odd, the first time you met. I’m glad things are better.”
Jessica Marie flushed again, and shifted her eyes to the large window that overlooked the front yard. An empty bird feeder took a place of prominence in the view and Jessica stared at it, like it held all the answers to life’s biggest questions. “Yeah…we’re better.”
Millie watched her granddaughter curiously, wondering where her head was. Young people. Everything was so dramatic. Resting back in her chair, Millie watched Jessica’s eyes lose focus, as she lost herself to some inner thought. Not wanting to disrupt the girl’s musings, Millie closed her eyes and pondered how long she had to rest before she could sneak past her grandchildren and get back to her greenhouse. She had some herbs she wanted to grow for Kai. Something to spruce up his life a little bit. Rosemary, maybe?
(Cut scene #5. This is at the end of chapter 16, after Kai and Jessie have completely stopped seeing each other.)